Trial Nine: Edge Of Divinity
Kanathara quickly threw out the most powerful shield she could muster, defending her and her familiar from the hundreds of shards being shot at them. Though the barrier was already beginning to crack, the demon didn't move to reinforce her defences. Instead she turned her body to mist before flowing through the cracks in Rainbow Dash’s thick armor.
The vengant shuddered as she continued to flap her wings, staying aloft over the small horde of blood demon clones. Unlike every other time Kanathara took up residence in her familiar’s body, this time she was not a mere passenger. Their body trembled, flesh bubbled, and bones snapped as the pair underwent an unpleasant metamorphosis.
Confused and curious, the blood demon paused his assault to watch as his foe writhed in barely contained agony. Rainbow Dash’s mane sparked briefly before dying out along with her tail, the demon’s eyes shutting tightly as pain wracked their body. While their being was forcibly altered, their armor grew, straining to cover a form that had already nearly doubled in size.
It was at this point that the blood demon felt an incredible surge of magic well from within the still twitching mass of flesh flying before him. Such raw power immediately set off alarm bells in his mind, and he reacted by bombarding the shield with dozens of lightning bolts. Kanathara and Rainbow Dash did not notice this at all, as both were too overcome with agony to think straight.
That was until their body stopped twitching, and with a cry of pain, a horn burst from their head. Long and sharp, the scimitar-shaped appendage hummed with barely contained demonic power. Their eyes snapped open a millisecond later, revealing that their eyes had become a deep magenta color. Twin gouts of raging fire erupted from their wings, the embers of which were a deep lavender and resembled tiny falling stars.
Ghostly fog seeped out of their helm and formed into a taller, grander version of Kanathara’s iron crown. As their transformation completed, their shield cracked, and with a resounding bang, it shattered into a thousand pieces. Rather than recast it, the newly empowered demon merely used their wing to brush aside the hail of lightning that had been tossed their way.
There would be no more words or witty jabs at this point, as both parties knew this was a fight that would end in one of their deaths. The newly formed alicorn-like demon surged forward, their wings beating hard and carrying them into the thick of their foe. While their armor expanded and their first kick destroyed one of the blood clones, magic leapt from their horn, destroying another.
The burst of acid they had summoned carried through the first clone and injured several more behind it. The sudden shock of losing several of his bodies in such rapid succession was enough to make the blood demon flinch, opening him up to a ray of frost as well as a catastrophic stomp which froze two and obliterated a third.
Recovering quickly, the blood demon urged his clones to move, their strange forms gliding across the ground as they began to cast numerous spells. Fire bolts, blood crystal shards, and small bursts of lightning impacted the alicorn-like demon only to be rendered completely ineffective. Carefully conjured shields and deft movements ensured that every bit of offensive magic cast hit the heaviest part of their armor.
They weren’t only avoiding injury though, for even as they dodged enemy attacks, the alicorn was lashing out with horn and hoof alike. A jet of concentrated hellfire obliterated another of the copies, while at the same time the alicorn barreled headlong into a cluster of her foes. Stomping one, then impaling another, the alicorn had become a whirlwind of death the blood demon struggled to escape.
Sacrificing a dozen copies to keep his foe occupied, the blood demon used the majority of his clones to begin casting a holding spell. Only to be surprised when he began to feel his spell slipping away from him, quickly countered by the alicorn who was still fighting. Again, he had been proven wrong, for even as the alicorn seemed occupied and their horn had been dull, one mind had stayed focused on his actions.
With his spellcasting disrupted with an uncomfortable ease, the otherworldly creature shifted focus once again. While calling forth more copies of himself, he launched a flurry of conjured shards at the alicorn, hoping to distract her. Only to be disappointed when the alicorn twisted, and with a mighty stomp of her hooves, caused the swirling mass of crimson to fall still once more.
They didn't even seem bothered by the shards, as they simply raised a flaming wing and batted them aside. A wide, manic grin spread across the equine’s features, and with a flick of their horn, the demon gathered up the red slurry in their magic. The blood demon attempted to recall that part of himself, but had his efforts disrupted as the alicorn simultaneously cast two spells.
He was forced to watch as the alicorn pulled together all the shattered remnants of his defeated copies and crushed them down into a tiny ball. The alicorn didn't stop there, though, as they popped the mass into their mouth, swallowed it whole and consumed his essence. For a moment the blood demon thought this had been a mistake on their part, though when he tried to strike the alicorn from the inside, he realized his error.
For those clones had been completely obliterated, and there was nothing left of them for the monster to control. Seeing his chances of success rapidly slip between his fingers, the blood demon shifted his tactics once again. This time he divided his forces between offence and defence, attempting to keep his foe at bay while preparing a counterattack.
Glowing barriers were erected and destroyed in rapid succession, the alicorn shouldering their way through any obstacle put in front of them. Phantasmal images of the blood demon were conjured, adding even more targets for the alicorn to crush or annihilate with magic.
Magical darkness was summoned, only to be dispelled a moment later. Webs sprung into existence beneath the alicorn’s hooves, prompting them to leap briefly into the air and launch a fireball. The resulting explosion of flames burnt away at the sticky silk a second before the alicorn landed once more in the midst of their foes.
A kick obliterated several of her enemies, while at the same time an empowered telekinesis spell crushed several more. With hoof and horn, the alicorn destroyed her foes faster than they could be revived, all while she wore a manic, almost insane grin on her face. A whirlwind of destruction, the blood demon struggled to do anything but merely keep her at bay, all while he wondered how this was even possible.
His attacks, which damaged his foe even when blocked, were connecting constantly, yet the alicorn showed no signs of slowing. He could even see that several of his larger crimson shards were sticking out of their armor or were lodged in what little flesh was exposed. Still they did not slow, their body remaining in constant motion as they lashed out at any enemy that strayed too close.
He wasn't about to give up, though, and raising his many hands to the sky, the blood demon called forth a magic inherent to his species. Such magic he knew was uncounterable, and with a smirk on his face he watched as blood began to rain from the ceiling, soaking everything in red. In an instant the alicorn’s body was drenched in the stuff and their wounds both open and closed began to bleed freely.
Rather than be crippled by the hundred of cuts which opened across her body, the alicorn merely cackled as she threw herself forward once more. With a crash, the enormous winged demon shattered her opponent’s final shield, and with a powerful exhale, bathed dozens of clones in hellfire. A wave of lightning joined the inferno, adding an extra layer of death to the already catastrophic attack.
For the first time in centuries, the blood demon felt real panic, and he sent his clones fleeing in all directions from his enemy’s attack. Hoping that the alicorn was distracted or at least winded, the otherworldly monster tried to open a hellgate and bring forth reinforcements. Only for a flap of the alicorn’s enormous wings to annihilate the group of copies he had been using to channel the spell.
Not only that, but the hellfire infused gust of wind knocked back what foes hadn't been utterly obliterated by the attack. An opening the alicorn used to turn several more blood clones to stone, while their body stomped and kicked at the copies. Within mere minutes of the fight breaking out, the blood demon was down to his final two clones, and victory had slipped completely from his grasp.
Seeing their foe flinch beneath their gaze, the alicorn smirked as she slowly trotted up to the cowering demon.
“How?” he muttered in shock.
“This form grants great power,” remarked the alicorn in a voice that sounded like two creatures speaking at once. “Though it is only temporary.”
With a stomp of their forehoof, the alicorn crushed the final clone, while their horn lashed out with a crackling bolt of red lightning. Without any other bodies to absorb the damage, the blood demon was thrown against the wall, his body charred blacker still by the attack. Without his focus, the bloody rain stopped pouring, allowing the alicorn a chance to heal some of their many, many wounds.
The second they felt their flesh knit back together again, the alicorn released a shuddering sigh, their body coming apart at the seams. The demon shrunk as mist slipped from between the plates of their armor, slowly returning both familiar and mistress to their natural forms. A process which took mere moments to complete, with both demons nearly collapsing to the floor the second they were whole once more.
“I hate doing that,” Rainbow Dash muttered, spitting out a wad of coagulated black blood. “Becoming super tough is cool and all, but it still hurts.”
Kanathara wiped her lips and straightened her crown. “Using her power over our own is a nice way to conserve magic, but we get way too arrogant when we are like that.”
Rainbow Dash shook herself vigorously, her armor shedding some of its bulk and returning to its more natural size. “I’m glad we can only do that once a day. I love ya, but that's a bit too much intimacy. Even for me.”
“How-” the blood demon coughed. “Pathetic.”
Kanathara glanced down to where the half-dead blood demon lay crumpled against a nearby wall. “If that were pathetic, then what does that make you, huh?” Kanathara spat.
“A weak, hobbled demon who has had his power stunted by the fool who had summoned him,” murmured the blood demon.
“You’re just saying that because we whooped your butt!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, jabbing the demon in the face with a hoof.
The blood demon laughed, even as his charred black halo began to flicker and fade. “Respect where it is due. You two were quite the surprise. If I could retreat and fight again, things would be very different though.”
“I don't suppose you could tell us anymore about this place before you get sent back to Tartarus,” Kanathara offered.
The creature’s cracked face shifted into a smirk. “I have one simple tidbit for you.”
“Well then, go on with it before you die mid-sentence,” Rainbow Dash demanded.
The creature shook briefly, his body beginning to liquify from the bottom up. “From your arrival to my defeat. Everything is a part of their plan.”
“Whose plan?” Kanathara shouted as she reached for the blood demon’s shoulders.
He let out a short hollow bout of laughter before his form dripped away into nothing.
“Well, that was a bust,” Rainbow Dash murmured.
Kanathara cursed under her breath. “At least it confirms you were right.”
Rainbow Dash scoffed. “I’m always right.”
The keeper chuckled as she watched the last remnants of the blood demon’s presence melt away into nothing, leaving behind only a small blood stain on the ivory floor where he had finally died. Glancing around the room revealed that the space had suffered no other damage, save for the partially destroyed throne and the hole they had made in the wall behind it.
“Now what?” Rainbow Dash asked.
Kanathara hummed thoughtfully to herself as she took in her surroundings. No soldiers were beating down the doors, nor were any reinforcements arriving through the stairs behind the throne. Evidently the blood demon had not activated any manner of alarm, nor did he call on any unseen allies.
A fact which only served to irritate the already annoyed keeper even more, sending her mind down a dark path. Shaking her head, the demon dismissed her paranoia and focused on the mission she had yet to complete.
“We plant the bomb as planned before heading deeper. The Elements can't be far,” Kanathara exclaimed.
“How long of a fuse are we going to put on that thing?” Rainbow Dash inquired. “I mean can we even determine that without knowing how far away the Elements are?”
“Too early and it would make our mission harder, too late and we might have already missed our window,” Kanathara explained as she wove together the magical bomb. “I think two hours would be our best bet. This gives us a chance to find the Elements, secure them, and work on our escape plan.”
“Too bad that guy didn't have a map on him. That woulda made this whole thing way easier,” Rainbow Dash idly remarked, giving a shattered piece of the throne a kick across the room.
“That it would have,” Kanathara murmured.
Ethereal clockwork gears and glowing lines of power wound together to form a vaguely spherical mass of pulsating magical energy. This orb took a considerable amount of focus to bring into being, requiring Kanathara to focus intently for over a minute. In the end though her job was complete, and with the bomb prepared, she focused briefly, turning the entire thing transparent.
With that done, Kanathara was able to pass the orb through the floor, and nestle it tight within the glowing confines of the rune below. A quick visual and magical inspection revealed that it worked as intended, with the bomb remaining undetected. Kanathara knew that without a skilled mage to inspect her spellwork, no one would find her little surprise before it went off.
And brought down all the wards and glyphs tied to the rune beneath her hooves.
“It is done,” Kanathara declared.
“Nice. Now can we get moving? I’m getting itchy sitting around so much,” Rainbow Dash complained.
Kanathara nodded slowly, giving her handiwork one final glance before turning and following after her familiar.
Together the duo made their way up the stairs which lay behind the throne, preceding at a slow, careful pace. It wasn't long before the stairs turned sharply to the left, and the two demons were forced to climb even slower. Extending their senses as far as possible revealed little, and both mistress as well as familiar were on high alert.
Yet they saw no one and picked up no traps or alarms as they ascended higher into the tower. Thankfully for their nerves after only a few minutes, they were able to reach the next floor and were able to escape the seemingly endless tunnel. The next area didn't do much to assuage their paranoia, however, as there were no guards visible within the wide room.
Scanning for all manner of unseen observers, Kanthara came back with nothing. While her mistress ran through a bunch more spells, Rainbow Dash simply looked around the wide empty space. It was a lot like the floor below, only not nearly as opulent, keeping only the slightly opaque windows and doing away with the throne as well as pillars.
“There's nothing here,” Kanathara murmured. “Strange.”
“What is with these big empty rooms?” Rainbow Dash remarked.
“I don't know,” Kanathara admitted. “So much of this place seems like it was pieced together from three different facilities. One part research and development, another containment, and a third used for training as well as storage.”
“Maybe it was intended to do the first and last thing,” Rainbow Dash began, waving a hoof out through the doorway. “Doesn't seem wholly designed for that middle one.”
“No, it doesn't,” Kanathara agreed.
The keeper of secrets couldn't help but wonder what the true history of this place was, and what it had once been intended for. Regardless of its past, the citadel served every purpose the paladin order required of it. Which also meant that it was still an incredibly well-defended structure, no matter how haphazardly those defences had been placed.
“Are we going or what?” Rainbow Dash inquired.
“Yeah, just be careful,” Kanathara whispered, half to herself, half to her familiar.
The vengant shrugged, and walked into the room beyond, her mistress following at a slight distance. Together they ventured deeper into the strange building, making their way through long hallways and more winding staircases. Though the spaces they found themselves in varied, the lack of guards served as their one true constant.
“Where is everyone?” Rainbow Dash muttered under her breath. “Did they all take a break at once or what?”
Kanathara glanced out from the small alcove they were using as cover before ducking back inside. “I don't know, but it's wearing on my nerves,” Kanathara remarked.
“No kidding, you’ve been casting more anti-invisibility spells in the last five minutes than I’ve seen you cast in the last five years,” Rainbow Dash whispered. “Are you sure that's a good idea though? I mean you gotta be burning through a lot of magic at this point.”
“I have more than enough power to keep this up for as long as I need to,” Kanathara retorted, only to wilt. “Though not forever.”
Rainbow Dash took a turn, peeking out from their hiding spot before ducking back.
“You know, that's something I’ve been thinking about a lot this past few minutes,” Rainbow Dash began.
“Oh, and what have you been thinking about?” Kanathara pressed.
“Well, what if that is all part of Shining’s plan?” Rainbow Dash offered with a shrug.
“What, like he wants us to steal the Elements?” Kanathara replied, taking her turn looking out into the narrow, white hallway beyond.
“No, not that,” Rainbow Dash replied. “What if he's trying to wear us down for some reason.”
“That’s…” Kanathara hesitated, a frown crossing her face. “Possible, though unlikely.”
Kanathara shook her head. “Regardless, we have a job to do, and it's not like we can pull out now.”
“True,” Rainbow Dash admitted. “It just makes me look forward to that vacation of ours even more.”
The vengant flashed her mistress a wink before slipping out from the alcove and leaving Kanathara with a slight blush. The keeper of secrets gave her head a shake before following after the other demon, quickly catching up to the larger creature.
“You good?” Rainbow Dash whispered.
Kanathara wiped the sweat from her brow, her horn still glowing brightly as she worked on a small panel next to a door.
“Just a second,” Kanathara replied, quickly returning to her work.
A few seconds later, the complex weave of magical defences flickered briefly before falling completely dark. Making Kanathara’s smile morph into a bitter frown and prompting her to angrily punch the thing with a hoof. The demon cursed to herself as she carefully placed the stone back into its place in the wall before standing once more.
“To answer your question, I am annoyed, but fine,” Kanathara replied. “Would you mind pulling open this door?”
“That's like the fourth one in a row. Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Rainbow Dash inquired.
Kanathara let out an angry snort. “I know what I’m doing. Without me shutting them down, it would be impossible for the door to open in the first place. The mechanism that does so is just tied to the lock for some dumb reason.”
Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I don't care one way or the other, but my hoovsies are getting tired.”
“Hoovsies, really, Rainbow Dash?” Kanathara deadpanned.
“What’s the problem? It's what they are called,” Rainbow Dash stated.
Kanathara had been about to point out that it sounded silly, but was interrupted when her familiar rammed her forehooves into the center of the door. Unlike the rest of the relatively simple entrances they had come across so far, these last few were opened solely by magic. Thus they lacked any kind of handle and were made up of two sheets of metal which split into the middle.
Rainbow Dash solved this problem quite handedly when she ripped open the door and forced it back into the walls. Steel strained, muscles bulged, and within a few seconds the offending obstacle had been completely removed.
“These things are so annoying,” Rainbow Dash complained as she rotated one of her shoulders.
“It is impressive though. Who would have thought that they would make nearly every room completely air tight,” Kanathara exclaimed.
Rainbow Dash jabbed a hoof forwards. “What do you think that means?”
Kanathara followed her familiar’s gaze and immediately frowned at what she saw. For instead of the white interior they had seen for the majority of the way, there was a strange purple crystal.
The entire hallway before them was made of the same stuff, though the thick oaken door on the far end was not. Unlit and without any windows, the pair would have had trouble traversing the expanse if their demonic sight didn't allow them to see perfectly in the dark. It also seemed like the perfect place for a trap, or some kind of magical defence of some kind, though Kanathara’s scans came back negative.
“This is either some kind of super mean trap, or the hallway before the boss room,” Rainbow Dash whispered.
Kanathara rolled her eyes. “Now who's been reading too many novels?”
“Oh, come on. Even you have to admit that's totally what this looks like,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, gesturing down the hall.
Kanathara sighed. “I suppose you’re right.”
“Damn straight I am,” Rainbow Dash muttered.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” Kanathara pressed.
“Why me?” Rainbow Dash replied, crossing her hooves over her chest.
“Because you're the one wearing the plate mail,” Kanathara deadpanned.
Rainbow Dash blinked and looked down. “Oh fine, but you better have checked it thoroughly!”
“Would I lie to you?” Kanathara exclaimed.
“Only when you say you love me more than I love you,” Rainbow Dash replied with a wink.
The keeper blushed and looked away, muttering under her breath, “That's because it's true..”
Her familiar merely chuckled as she began a long, uneventful walk down the hallway. Reaching the end only a few seconds later, Rainbow Dash stopped in front of the door and looked around.
Doesn't seem trapped, Rainbow Dash pointed out.
I’m coming over, Kanathara stated.
The keeper carefully did just that a few seconds later, joining her familiar near the exit. Where they just stood for a few seconds, staring at their surroundings and waiting for something to happen. When no fireballs shot out of the walls, and the floor didn't give out, they exchanged a look as well as a shrug.
Kanathara stopped to conjure a scrying sheet, but was dismayed when attempts to see past the door failed. She followed this up with the usual gamut of anti-trap testing, among the other spells she had gotten so much practice with recently. It was only after she burned every bridge available to her that Kanathara reluctantly reached for the handle and was startled when she heard a hum coming from behind her.
“What was…” The keeper’s jaw hung open.
For behind her the hallway was completely gone, replaced by a solid mass of purple crystal that hummed with energy. The demon didn't even have to light her horn to know that several anti-teleportation wards had been enacted. The familiar tingle at the back of her mind told her in no uncertain terms that there was no way out other than forward.
“So, uh… nothing ventured, nothing gained. Right?” Rainbow Dash remarked with a weak shrug.
Kanathara growled, her irritation growing by the second until she very nearly punched something. Reigning back those urges, the keeper schooled her expression and straightened the crown upon her head.
“Ready to get this done?” Kanathara asked.
Rainbow Dash smirked. “Do you even have to ask?”
“No, but it makes me feel better to hear you say that you are,” Kanathara admitted.
Rainbow Dash leaned forward and planted a brief kiss on the other demon’s lips. “Then yes. I’m ready when you are.”
Kanathara took one final deep breath before reluctantly turning away from her familiar. “Right, let's do this.”
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... so they become an almost Alicorn? ...
who’s behind door Number 1, is it
A. Shining Armor
B. Princess Celestia
or C. Cadenza mi amore
Yo, cool new cover art.
Also yeah, obvious trap. This vault seems good at keeping people out, but I bet it's even better at keeping people in.
Nom nom
This chapter taste like the appetizer right before dessert... Evil I say, evil!
10773812
so far from what we have seen all the main 6 have kept their connections to the elements so its not a strech to say that mabey celestia knows that twilight and rainbow are bearers and has made this trap to tire them out so she can purify them.
or if she is not aware then to make them weak enough to not be able to resist the contract that she might have planned as after that she would have someone who knows where all the elements are and can get them under her control
10774210
Provided that they can force a contract on two demons that are already bound by one that, most likely, directly contradicts the new one.
10773550
With the emphasis in this chapter on those two i'd guess C but only for exploitative purposes.
Trial Nine: Blood Tithe:
10774379
Wouldn’t that leave them vulnerable to the elements?
10774577
Who knows?
well now what or who is on the other side?
Just caught up, loved the story and the growth of the characters. I definitely didn't see the story ending up here when I started.
Quick question though, is it supposed to be vague as to what happened to Rarity? It's very ambiguous at this point.
10791635
Yup. We'll catch back up with her later.
Is there not going to be an update this month or is it just unusually delayed due to the problems with First Law?
10824574
Chapters needed an overhaul and were pushed back because of first law. They are going to be so late that I'm just going to miss a month I'm afraid. There will either be an extra chapter or the chapters will be extra long this month though.
10824616
👍